Playboy: The Times They Are A Changin’

So I read today that Playboy (yes, that Playboy) is going to completely change the way it handles it’s photography. The magazine famous for introducing generations of teenage boys to a woman’s body has decided to go completely Safe for Work—though I question how Safe for Work it will be. Starting in March, Playboy will no longer publish nude pictures of women.

I’ll pause here for everyone to absorb that.

Now, I am not a Playboy executive. Hell, I’m barely a reader—though I do enjoy the pictures—but I’m a bit sad. Right now, their website has been nude-free for months now and they are claiming a significant uptick in traffic. With them switching the magazine to the same track, they are hoping to have similar results. A recent press release about this switch said that Playboy wants to return to their roots of quality articles and stories. And if works, great for them.

But, as I said, I’m a bit sad. We’re actually losing a staple of the American landscape. Playboy was—and for right now, still is—one of the few men’s magazines which treat women with a modicum of respect. I know it seems odd saying that, but it’s true. While we can talk about modern fashion and the treatment of women thereupon, they never have treated women like so much meat.

And I do mean that in the most disgusting way possible.

If you haven’t noticed, the adult industry can sometimes have a dehumanizing view of women. I never got that impression with Playboy. Their nudes were—frankly put—tastefully done. I know several women who are comfortable with the magazine—including my wife. And just because other magazines have women in lingerie doesn’t mean they are more respectful. Many of them aren’t. What we’re losing is a men’s magazine that, at least on some level, tells us overbearing, uber-sexualized males to treat women with respect. It’s needed. For a magazine that has its roots in sexual freedom, at its heart it is still about manners, and propriety, and doing the right thing, regardless of your over-sized libido.

Maybe you agree with the move, or feel that it’s about time that Playboy updates its business model, but I for one will be sad to see it go.